Safety-net for swimming pools



Sept. 19, 1961 L. A. SKOVIRA SAFETY-NET FOR SWIMMING POOLS Filed July10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Leonard A. S/ro w'ra INVENTOR.

P 1961 L. A. SKOVIRA 3,000,017

SAFETY-NET FOR SWIMMING POOLS Filed July 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N K NQ m gag g 8 N E s g N s k //N Leonard A. owra 1N VlfN TOR.

United States Patent p 3,000,017 SAFETY-NET FOR SWIMMING POOLS LeonardA. Skovira, 6304 Eastern Ave., Baltimore 24, Md. Filed July 10, 1959,Ser. No. 826,223 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) This invention relates to animproved swimming pool safety-net or guard having a number of practicalfunctions which, considered collectively, oifer desirable ways and meansto safeguard users and others and which provides, as will be hereinafterevident, an appreciable and needed advance in this line of endeavor.

Persons conversant with prior art contrivances and safety-promotingapparatus will appreciate that many and varied guards have been proposedwith a view toward increasing safety measures for swimming pools. Forexample, a canvas or an equivalent tarpaulin is in use which, when thepool is out of use, is laboriously spread over the top of the poolrequiring, no doubt, assistance and an expenditure of valuable time inapplying, anchoring and storage and, sooner or later becoming anuisance, to say the least. It follows that one aim in the instantmatter is to improve upon and simplify this aspect of the problem; so,and to this end, one objective here is to provide a'pool cover which isunique in that it floats atop the pool water when used as a cover anddescends to the bottom and stays there when the pool is in use. To accomplish this, I provide a simple frame having a suitably fabricated netand an inflatable and deflatable pneumatic tube preferably attached tothe bottom of the frame. When inflated the tube brings the net to thetop of the water; and, when the tube is deflated the netted frame sinksto the bottom and stays there. But this is only one phase of theover-all concept.

Secondly, but no less significant, is the idea and purpose of the netwhen it is situated at the bottom of the pool to prevent drowning of achild when the pool is open and competent help may not be on hand toundertake, if necessary, a life saving task. For example, the net, beingat the bottom of the pool, if a child falls in the water, the weight ofthe child landing on the net, which is spring-suspended, will cause thenet to sink below a slightly elevated level in a manner to trip andtrigger a compressed air control valve. Since the valve iscommunicatively connected, by a suitable hose line, to a normallydeflated net floating tube, the latter will come into play and the netwill rise (like an automatic elevator) and bring the victim to thesurface.

In addition, an audible alarm is provided and sounds off as soon as thevalve opens. Therefore, anyone nearby or even at hand, will respond andhasten to the rescue of the victim. Not only this, the invention alsooffers users a protective floor or false bottom. That is to say, thenet, being fabricated from broad interwoven elastic (plastic) straps orhands constantly under tension, provides a cushioned and reboundingbottom and, the frame, being spring-balanced, also responds so that acareless or untrained diver can rest assured that instead of landing ona hard and dangerous bottom, he will instead land upon the yieldable netwith the result that the likelihood of injury will be reduced almost tonil.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying illustrative, butnot restrictive, drawmgs.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view illustrating a simple concrete or anequivalent swimming pool and wherein the novel safety net is shownsituated at the bottom of the pool (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

' shown as generally rectangular.

Patented Sept. 19, 1961 ice FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional viewtaken on the plane of the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, looking in the directionof the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken on the transverse line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 except that the pneumatic tube is showninflated in a manner to float the net atop the water in the pool.

FIG S is a fragmentary view in section and elevation on a larger scaledetailing one of the headed bolts serving as a foot equipped leg, thespring being expanded to support the netted frame in its normal orready-to-function position.

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 5 but showing how, when weight has beenimposed on the net, the spring is compressed to pull the trip rod downto trigger the control valve to an open position, after which the tubeis automatically inflated.

By way of introduction to the description of the details it may bepointed out that swimming pools are by no means standard inconstruction. This is particularly true in respect to the various shapescurrently being utilized. Also, the bottom or floor of the pool is notalways level. While these factors have been taken into consideration itwas thought unnecessary, insofar as the concept is concerned, to showother than a flat bottomed pool. Consequently, in actual practice thetop plan configuration of the netted frame will vary. Also, instead ofbeing completely flat the frame may have one end or one-half portiontilted so as to conform to the plane of the bottom of the pool. However,the frame is here It is denoted by the numeral 8 and is constructed ofnon-corrodible tubing of requisite strength and weight. That is to say,the weight will be such that the frame unless floating will sink to thebottom of the pool. As already mentioned the frame is netted that isspanned or covered substantially by an openwork net. Experience hasshown that the net should preferably be flexibly resilient and ofconsiderable strength. Therefore, it has been constructed of relativelybroad water-proof plastic or equivalent elastic bands or straps 10 and12 which are suitably interwoven with a marginal portion of the netappropriately attached to the frame members. At the respective fourcorners (and elsewhere if necessary) elevating and suspending legs areprovided. Each leg is of the construction shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Morespecifically, the leg comprises a bolt or pin the upper end of which isscrew-threaded as at 14 to accommodate an adjusting nut 16. The legslides freely through holes provided therefor in the tubing. The lowerend of the ieg is provided with a head 18 which in this instanceprovides or functions as a foot and rests on the bottom 20 of the pool.A part of the leg below the bottom of the frame is surrounded by a coilspring 22 of requisite strength. It is to be assumed that when the frameand net is at the bottom of the pool the spring is properly adjusted andtensioned to raise the frame to the elevated position seen in FIG. 5.When, however, sufficient weight is imposed on the net the net descendsin the direction of the arrow A as seen in FIG. 6. In so doing the coilspring 2 is compressed. Suitably attached to the underneath side of theframe and substantially surrounding the frame is an inflatable anddeflatable pneumatic tube 24. This tube provides practical float meansfor elevating the netted frame from the low to the high positionrepresented in the drawings. Normally the tube 24 is deflated but may beinflated by way of a flexible air hose or equivalent delivery line 26.The lower end of the hose is suitably connected with the tube and theupper end is connected with an elbow or the like 28 which, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, is communicatively connected with a stationary suitablyconstructed control valve 30 on the brim of the vertical walls 32 of thepool. The numeral 34 designates a suitably constructed audible alarm ordanger signal which is brought automatically into play when the occasionfor its use arises. The control valve30 is provided with an appropriateair supply pipe or line 36 leading from a compressor or other source ofsupply. The numeral 36 designates an appropriate cut-out or shut-offvalve. As perhaps best seen in FIG. 2 the valve means in the controlvalve casing is triggered by an appropriate lever or equivalent trigger38. The trip member comprises a linearly straight depending push-pullrod 40 which extends down and isprovided on its bottom with anadjustable stop shoulder 42. The lower shouldered end passes throughopenings 44 provided therefor as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6. The length ofthe rod is such that the cooperation of parts is normally as illustratedin F'IG.4 where the netted frame is elevated. When suflicient weightascends atop the net, the net springs down as seen in FIG. 6 compressingthe coil spring and at the same time pulls downwardly on the trip rod40. This in turn operates the lever 38 and triggers the control valvewhich if on immediately sends the pressured air down and into thefioatable tube 24 and inflates the latter. As soon as the tube has beensufficiently inflated the entire net moves upwardly and functions as anautomatic retrieving elevator for a possible victim. It is evident toothat when the control valve 30 is operated the audible alarm 34 comesinto play to summon such help or aid as may be available to aid in andcarry out the rescue work.

When the net is employed as a safety victim recovering net at the bottomof the pool it is evident that the parts appear as shown in the drawingsparticularly FIGS. 5 and 6. At this time the shut-off valve 36 has ofcourse been opened and the control valve 30 is ready to function. Thepool attendant will take care of this particular task at the beginningof the day. Assuming that the net is used purely as a cushioned falsebottom and the pool is being supervised by attendants it is within thepurview of the invention to cut the valve 30 OE and to employ the net asa rebound-type safety bottom.

When the pool is filled with water but not supposed to be used it isthen desirable to properly inflate the tube and to bring the net to thetop so that the net will float on top of the water and at which time thenet becomes a cover guard. In this way the cover will prevent childrenand adults from falling into the pool and perhaps drowning. It is alsowithin the purview of the invention to provide, at a suitable point inthe supply line 26, an approprate bleed off valve (not shown) to bleedthe air from the tube whenever necessary or desired.

Since the invention is primarily in the construction of the net and itsarrangement and general uses it is thought unnecessary in the instantdisclosure to include the directions or instructions for attendants inhandling the valves for, after all, this aspect of the over-all conceptis not necessarily significant to the novelty of the invention.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of.the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A safety net for swimming pools, comprising in combination, aperimetric frame, interwoven webbing of resiliently elastic materialsecured to and spanning said frame, a continuous inflatable anddeflatable tube secured to the underside of the frame and extendingsubstantially perimetrically of the latter, said tube when inflatedproviding buoyancy for the frame whereby the same may float on water, aplurality of spring-biased legs provided on and projecting downwardlyfrom said frame for depressing supporting the same in an elevatedposition on the bottom of a pool when said tube is deflated, a normallyclosed compressed air supply valve adapted to be stationarily mountedadjacent a side of a pool, a flexible hose communicating said valve withsaid tube, and means connected to said frame and responsive todepression of the frame on said legs for opening said valve and therebyinflating said tube.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means comprise avertical rigid rod having its upper end operatively connected to saidvalve, said frame being provided with vertical passage means slidablyreceiving the, lower end portion of said rod, and an abutment elementprovided at the lower end of the rod, said element being engaged by saidframe when the latter is depressed whereby to slide the rod downwardlyand open said valve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,796,762 Paston Mar. 17, 1931 2,812,520 Pinckard Nov. 12, 19572,870,455 Reeves Jan. 27, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 73,886 Sweden Dec. 5,1927 817,778 France May 31, 1937

